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M3 and M5 Stuart
The M3 Stuart, officially Light Tank, M3, was an American light tank of World War II. An improved version entered service as M5 It was supplied to British and other Commonwealth forces under lend-lease prior to the entry of the U.S. into the war. Thereafter, it was used by U.S. and Allied forces until the end of the war. The British service name "Stuart" came from the American Civil War Confederate general J. E. B. Stuart and was used for both the M3 and the derivative M5 Light Tank. In U.S. use, the tanks were officially known as "Light Tank M3" and "Light Tank M5". Stuarts were the first American-crewed tanks in World War II to engage the enemy in tank versus tank combat. The Stuart was also the light tank counterpart of the M3 Lee, which was a medium tank. Overview M3 Stuart Watching the unfolding events in Europe, American tank designers realized that the Light Tank M2 was becoming obsolete and decided to review options for improving it. The upgraded design, with thicker armor, modified suspension and new gun recoil system was called "Light Tank M3". Production of the vehicle started in March 1941 and continued until October 1943. Like its predecessor, the M3 was initially armed with a 37mm M5 gun and five .30-06 Browning M1919A4 machine guns: coaxial with the gun, on top of the turret in an M20 anti-aircraft mount, in a ball mount in right bow, and in the right and left hull sponsons. Later, the gun was replaced with the slightly longer M6, and the sponson machine guns were removed. For a light tank, the Stuart was fairly heavily armored. It had 38 mm of armor on the upper front hull, 44 mm on the lower front hull, 51 mm on the gun mantlet, 38 mm on the turret sides, 25 mm on the hull sides, and 25 mm on the hull rear. Internally, the radial engine was at the rear and the transmission at the front. The prop shaft connecting the two ran through the middle of the fighting compartment. The radial engine, having its crankshaft high off the hull bottom, contributed to the tank's high silhouette. When a revolving turret floor was introduced in the M3 hybrid and M3A1, the crew had less room. In contrast to the M2A4, all M3/M5 series tanks had a trailing rear idler wheel for increased ground contact. As well as serving with US armored divisions in the light battalions of the armored regiments, thousands of M3 Light Tanks were supplied to Britain and the Soviet Union. The British codenamed the tank ‘General Stuart’, after the famous American Civil War cavalry commander, and the name caught on with US troops as well. The M3 Stuart was mechanically reliable, and even though it had lighter armor and a smaller gun than the latest German panzers, its small size and high speed made it well suited to probing enemy defences and fighting a free-wheeling and tactical style of moving battle. M5 Stuart The M5 variant of the Stuart light tank stemmed from the suggestion to the Ordnance Department that the M3 version be fitted with the twin Cadillac engines and the Cadillac Hydra-matic transmission. These components were, at the time being manufactured and fitted to commercial vehicles. After successful trials, compounded by a shortage of Continental engines, the Cadillac modified version of the Stuart approved for production in February 1942. The new version was originally designated the Light Tank M4 but this was later changed to M5 to avoid confusion with the M4 medium tank or Sherman. The M5A1 Stuart light tank proved time and again that speed was an essential element of armoured infantry support and flank protection. Armed with a 37mm gun and two machine guns the Stuarts proved themselves to be more than adequate in dealing with the German mobile infantry. Model kits: M3 Stuart: * UBX56 M3 Stuart Light Tank Platoon (five M3 Stuarts with American crew figurines) * BBX32 Honey Armoured Troop (five M3 Stuarts with British crew figurines) * SBX43 Stuart Tank Company (five M3 Stuarts with Soviet crew figurines) * USAB06 Patton's Fighting First (Plastic) (three M3 Stuarts included) M5 Stuart * UBX21 M5A1 Stuart Light Tank Platoon (five metal/resin tanks) * UBX70 M5 Stuart Tank Platoon (five plastic M5 Stuarts with crew figurines and M8 Scott options) * USAB10 American Combat Command (three plastic M5 Stuart tanks included) * BRAB12 British Armoured Battle Group (three plastic M5 Stuart tanks included) In Flames of War Once the enemy line has been broken the Stuart light tank use their speed to race forward to exploit the break through and wreak havoc behind enemy lines. Their speed also allows them to out-manoeuvre slower tanks and take advantage of their weaker side armour. Model assembly Metal and resin model kits Those only require to attach the threads to the hull and the gun to the turret. A cyanoacrylate glue is necessary for this task. The turret can be secured in the hull with the help of rare earth magnets. Plastic M3 Stuart * Begin assembly of the Stuart by attaching the right-hand side track to the hull section. * Next, attach the left-hand side track to the hull section. * Next, attach the hull rear piece to the rear of the hull section. * Mount the upper hull on the lower hull assembly. * Attach the glacis. * Choose an open or closed turret piece. * Assemble the main turret pieces. * Attach the main gun to the turret. * Next, attach the MG to the turret. * Glue your choice of commander into the open hatch. * Glue the turret peg/the magnet in place. * Mount the turret on to the hull assembly. Plastic M5 Stuart * Begin assembly of the Stuart by attaching the right-hand side track to the hull section. * Next, attach the left-hand side track to the hull section. * Now place the rear hull section on the tank hull. * Next, attach the upper hull to the main hull section. * Attach the Machine gun and spare wheel to the front plate. * With the finished front plate now attach it to the front of the main hull of the Stuart. * Attach the mounted machine gun to the turret hull. * Now place the hatch on the turret in the top of the turret. * Next, attach the armour plating to the other side of the turret hull. * Next place the upper hull of the Stuart onto the lower hull piece. * Next glue the 37mm gun on the mantlet. There is a slot on the front of the turret and back of the gun to help guide you. * Glue the turret peg/the magnet in place. * Mount the turret on to the hull assembly. UBX56-13.jpg|M3 Stuart plastic sprues introduced in 2018. BRAB12-29.png|M5 Stuart plastic sprues. Painting US Army All the US Army tanks and military vehicles deployed to Europe between 1944 and 1945, as well as to the Northern Africa between November 1942 and 1943, were overall painted Lusterless Olive Drab as their standard colour. It was a compromise between typical earth colours and foliage colours in temperate areas. It was inexpensive to produce, as it used a mix of just two pigments: ochre and black. Since March 1943, the orders were given to add camouflage patterns to armoured vehicles and some units did apply improvised camouflage on their vehicles, though no official pattern was specified, so the camouflage patterns varied from one vehicle to another. During the 1944-45 Winter in Western Europe, the vehicles were also winterized with whitewash. American tanks usually had white American stars painted on turret sides, hull sides and the glacis plate. The engine deck was adorned with a US star in a roundel as an air recognition mark. The British Army and the Commonwealth The Stuart tanks delivered to the Eight Army before the El Alamein battle were painted sand yellow as the primary colour, completed with black blotches. The tanks received for the Italian campaign 1943-45 and the North-Western Europe 1944-45 were usually left either in the original Olive Drab colour or painted with its British equivalent - the S.C.C. 15 Olive Drab. The British Army also used the white-wash winterization. Combat efficiency M3 Stuart The core component of the American light tank company is fast and quite well armed for a light tank - its 37mm gun can harm most of the German tanks (except the Tiger) with the Stabilizer Special Rule, on the condition the rear and side armour is attacked. Five dice rolled per tank when firing machineguns make the Stuart an ideal tank to fight enemy infantry, since the pinning down chance is high. The drawbacks of this tank are: * high chances to hit, 2+ for American and Soviet Stuarts and 3+ for the British; * poor skills for American and Soviet Stuarts, making the use of Tactics quite risky; * Firepower rating 4+, giving only 50% chances to destroy enemy vehicles. * weak armour, which makes the Stuart quite vulnerable to enemy fire. M5 Stuart The improved model of the Stuart tank is used by the Americans and the British - the latter might field Stuarts as a part of the Sherman armoured squadron of the Churchill infantry tank squadron. American Stuarts might be either deployed as separate tank companies or as the M4 Sherman tank company's component. The American player has options to deploy standard Stuart tanks (Confident Trained crews hit on 3+ with Blood n' Guts Special Rule) or Veteran tank units (Confident Trained hit on 4+ with Yankee Ingenuity Special Rule). The improved stats of the tank crews make it more profitable to use clever tactics instead of simple rush towards the enemy. The M5 Stuart retains the firepower of its predecessor with minimally improved armour. Suggested Tactics Both Stuart variants are good at eliminating enemy infantry due to their machinegun rate of fire - with 5 dice rolled per tank, a four-tank platoon requires to roll twenty dice, which almost guarantees to pin down enemy troops. Their high speed and the stabilizers allow the Stuart attacking most of the enemy tanks, except the heavy ones. Panzer IV and StuG G are especially vulnerable to side and rear shots from the 37mm gun. The Panther might also be destroyed when hit in rear or side armour if the German players roll 1 on armour save and the American player passes the Firepower test. The Stuarts are best used as a separate company backing up a second company (infantry or heavier vehicles) when they can be hurled against the enemy in masses and over-run them. They also make a good component for British tank squadrons with Scout and Spearhead Special Rules, allowing to expand the deployment zone and secure heavier tanks. Improvements The American Command Cards from Fighting First ''and ''D-Day: American sets contain options for improving Stuart tank platoons and companies. Fighting First * William Wilbur Command Card grants a re-roll to one failed to Hit roll and one failed Firepower test to one tank, on the condition the tan unit is attached as a support to a rifle company. The card costs 2 points. * First of the First Command Card grants the M3 Stuart Tank Company commander the right to re-roll one failed Firepower test for their main gun in each Shooting Step for the cost of 1 point. Image gallery M3 Stuart UBX56.jpg|The UBX56's box front. UBX56-02.jpg|The UBX56's box rear. UBX56-15.png USAB08-41.png Stuarts (1).JPG |A full-strenght M3 Stuart platoon built from the Lend-Lease set. Stuarts (2).JPG US Mid-War.JPG|The American tank company for Mid-War - Sherman tank company with M3 Stuart platoon. Stuart company.JPG BBX32-02.jpg BBX32-01.jpg M5 Stuart UBX21.jpg|The UBX21 box front. UBX21a.jpg|The UBX21 box's rear. UBX70.jpg|The UBX70's box front. UBX70-02.jpg|The UBX70 box's rear. UBX70-17.jpg Category:Tanks Category:Tank Teams Category:Armoured Tanks Category:Allied Category:Mid-war Category:Late-war Category:American Category:Formations Category:Support Category:Lend-Lease Category:Under Construction